Algebra Pro Review by Matt Silverman

Name of App: Algebra Pro

Free or Fee: $.99

Rating: 5/5 stars

Do you know someone with a math phobia?  Do you know any students who struggle with one of the most important strands of math – Algebra?  On a quest to help my students, I fortunately found the Algebra Pro App.  I quickly realized that there are many applications that simply list formulas with little or no interactive experience for the learner. Algebra Pro not only provides formulas, but learners will also be able to solve complex problems and receive explanations of the concepts behind the formulas.  All major topics are provided with stunning visual graphics and sequential steps for transference of learning from the App to homework and the classroom.  In other words, students will be able to take their traditional classroom instruction/homework and have a strong support system in Algebra Pro.  The App is easy to navigate and fun to use.  There are a plethora of examples designed to support concepts taught in all basic algebra classes at the middle and high school levels.  This is a perfect tutorial program for the new Common Core Standards and higher expectations for middle school mathematics curriculum.  Students, teachers and other professionals will appreciate the ability to obtain answers to their questions in the blink of an eye.  Give Algebra Pro a try – it’s the perfect support App for algebra at all levels.

MindSnacks Spanish

App Title:  MindSnacks Spanish - Language Learning Program

Grade Level: Late Elementary to Adult

Cost: $4.99 

Purpose: A+

Purpose Rationale: MindSnacks Spanish is a very unique language learning application that focuses on vocabulary, spelling, grammar, visual learning, and context. With 50 levels of language content, you can play fun games and learn on the go. Each level offers up to 25 Spanish words/phrases and includes pictures and audio to assist in the learning process. The app’s personalized learning algorithms use powerful memorization techniques to help make sure you are actually learning the material as you move through the app. Six games are included (although you do have to unlock some based on skill level!) in order to address vocabulary, reading, writing, listening, and conversational skills. MindSnacks even keeps track of your scores and learning progress so you can easily see how much you have learned.

Program Functionality: A+

Program Functionality Rationale: MindSnacks Spanish was super easy to start using (all you need is an email address). Since the app was meant for individuals to learn on their own, it starts with the basics: numbers. After a quick lesson, you can practice your new skills with a variety of games. As you earn high scores and beat the clock, you unlock different games to keep you engaged.

Overall Educational Value: A+

Overall Educational Value Rationale: MindSnacks Spanish is an excellent tool that is both instructional and engaging in the educational setting. Students can use it individually to learn and teachers can use it to reinforce previously taught skills or introduce new Spanish language skills.

Recommendation: As I offer a recommendation, I think it is important to note that I am not bilingual and I have not taken a basic Spanish class in over ten years. In fact, I actually designed my own undergraduate degree so that I wouldn’t have to take a foreign language in college at all (and yes, that was a lot of work to avoid a foreign language class!). If MindSnacks Spanish can grab my attention, keep me engaged, AND teach me a new language, then that says a lot! I shared the app with with a fellow educator in my building who teaches Spanish; she is now begging to borrow my classroom set of iPods to use the app with her students. Both she and I would highly recommend this language learning app for anyone interested in learning, relearning, or reinforcing their Spanish language skills. MindSnacks is advertised to be a "truly awesome mobile learning game" and it absolutely is!

Developer Video:

MindSnacks Spanish Teaser Video from Jesse Pickard on Vimeo.

 

Developer: MindSnacks

Developer Website: http://www.mindsnacks.com/ 

iTunes Link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mindsnacks-spanish-language/id385497068?mt=8#

Reviewer Name: Meg Wilson

Reviewer Blog: www.iPodsibilities.com (cross posted here)

Reviewer Twitter: http://twitter.com/iPodsibilities  

Other: Don’t forget to check out our Ning (Online Community) devoted to helping teachers utilize these devices to the their fullest.  Please leave a comment if you agree, disagree, or have other creative uses for this app in the classroom, etc. 

iPads in Science - by Al Gonzalez

(Click on any image on this post to see it full size.) This is a cross post that I started on my blog as a plan for using 12 iPads in the Fall of the 2010-11 school year with my middle school Science classes. I teach three 6th grade classes and two 8th grade classes. Here's what I'm planning to use on the 12 iPads. On the bottom dock of the main screen, next to the Safari, Mail and iPod links, I've placed a link to my 6th grade Moodle page, a link to my 8th grade Moodle page and a link to our classblogmeister blogs. Students can access my Moodle documents and links and resources as well as their blog accounts. With Cinch students can even create podcasts to load onto their blogs. Along with Cinch I also had to get Blue FiRe cause it's great for recording. Sadly, they can't create glogs or prezis on the iPads but that's why I'm glad I have iMacs and PC's for students to be able to do those as well. At least that's what I thought until @NMHS_Principal reminded us that CloudBrowse allows you to view flash content on the iPhone and iPad. We'll see if prezi and glogster will work. I'm planning to use twitter in class so I got Twitbird Pro. I love having class discussions where more than one student can "talk" at a time, especially the quiet, shy ones. Go backchanneling! I tried using Moodle chat this past year with students in their small teams and after a slight hiccup it became a huge success! For an RSS agregator I find Reeder to be fantastic. The Weather Channel Max (TWC Max+) for the iPad is awesome and kicks butt of the iPhone version. It's going to be great. I got my school a Google Apps account and with the Documents2 app students can access their Google Docs or share their work from Documents2 via FTP or via a web address. It's a pretty nifty app. Photo Pad allows us to share pictures using Flickr so I'm excited about using that app too. I'm sure students will find Dragon Dictation useful, my 7 year old daughter loves it but she enjoys all the errors it makes :). I also have a Science glossary, ScienceVL, and a regular Dictionary with Thesaurus (dictionary.com). Google Earth for the iPad, a calculator app, PCalc Lite, a timer app, iLab: Timer HD, and a unit Converter app, round out the main screen. [Addendum: After trying out Tweetdeck for the iPad I'm not happy with it. It crashes constantly and I can't add a Facebook column and I couldn't even figure out how to delete a column. Maybe I'm missing something. So I've deleted Tweetdeck. I've also decided against Read It Later, it's great for me but I'm not sure students will need it. Same thing with the Delicious Bookmark app. So those three are gone. Add to the list Dropbox. I would need to buy another app because I can't use Documents2 with Dropbox so I've decided to keep Documents2 and delete Dropbox.]

On the second screen I have some Science apps. One of my absolute favorites is The Elements app, which is the most incredible way I have seen to learn about elements in the periodic table. There are some fantastic periodic table websites out there but this app blows them away! The Star Walk and Solar Walk are also very cool and along with the moon phase app will be very enjoyable and helpful for students. The BrainPop app is pretty cool and I'm curious about the Bug Sim app (pictured below). I haven't tried it yet, but it's a simulation game (the only game I have on the iPad cause the learning apps I have are fun enough, right?) "for Darwinian Evolution, specifically through survival of the fittest." [Okay, so I tried Bug Sim. Not visually stunning, the bugs are multicolored one or two pixel square boxes. Fainter, smaller circles represent food. You choose how many bugs to start with, how much food, and how food regenerates. You can even add up to two gardens of Eden with quickly regenerating food supply. Then you let it run and see what happens with a graph showing population growth and decline. It also shows births, deaths, and mutations. I think i will try it with my 8th grade Life Science classes.] With Animation HD students can create animations to use on their blogs or wikis. Ezimba is a cool app for students to add effects to photographs. Another creative app. VideoScience has some great videos of science experiments and labs. So along with DNA Lite, Molecules, Insects HD, Animals HD, and HD Marine Life 2 I think students can do some fun learning (had to find stuff for my 8th grade Life Science students). MeAnderthal is just fun (too bad you can't take pictures with the iPad, we really need that feature added). GoDocs is good for viewing Google Docs (viewing only as I discovered after buying it). Then iBooks, Kindle and Stanza round out this second screen. After reading iPad in Education I added the Photopad app to this screen for photo editing to go along with Ezimba.

The third screen is as yet undeveloped. I have some apps here that I am using this summer but don't plan to use with students. HistoryMaps is cool so I'll keep it for my students who appreciate history like I do :) I added some more apps to fill up this screen after reading iPad in Education. I added Comic Touch Lite (the free version), Draw Free and Doodle Buddy to help students create what they need for their blogs or wikis. I also added 3D Brain, Brain Tutor and 3D Sun for some fun Science. And I gave in and added a game. The free version of Rush Hour. So I can't wait until October! :o) Please let know if I'm missing anything or if there's a cool iPad app I should try.

Since writing this post I've added a few more apps that I'm looking forward to testing on my kids to see how they work.

I've added 3D Cell Stain for my 8th grade Life Science classes.

I've also added the following:
GoodReader,
Qikcrossword,
GroupBoard,
iDraft,
Sundry Notes,
Idea Sketch,
Free Emoji,
Adobe Ideas,
Caster Free,
SparkVue,
Firefox Home,
GPS Tracker, and
GoToMeeting.

Those are the latest I want to try out. Don't know if they're must have or not. I'll see which ones work or are even needed when I start using them with students.